What Are the Pros and Cons of Spiral Binding?

Are you researching finishing options for production machines? Maybe you’re looking for additional third-party finishing options for company materials? You’ve likely come across the spiral binding options for print materials. But just what is spiral binding, and what are the benefits of it? Let’s take a look into what is considered spiral binding, its pros, cons, and applications for your organization.

If you’ve ever attended school, you probably already understand what a spiral notebook is. A spiral binding, or “coil binding” as it is sometimes referred, is a style of paper binding in which one side of the paper is uniformly punched with equidistant holes. A spiralized piece of metal or plastic is spin through the holes for a simple binding.

The Benefits of Spiral Binding

It allows books to lay flat. Where a glued perfect binding is best for a hand-held book, spiral binding is preferred for materials that will need to lay flat on a desk or possibly a podium.

It can accommodate a wide range of page counts. When it comes to spiral bindings, the number of pages is virtually irrelevant. Large or small, all that needs to change is the size of the plastic or metal binding piece.

It can be folded entirely over. Spiral binding can be opened in a full-360-motion to allow for a focus on a single page. This is especially handy for when the book is large or desktop space is limited — such as in a classroom setting.

The Cons of Spiral Binding

It’s not the cheapest. Though spiral binding is relatively inexpensive, perfect binding can still be less expensive binding techniques.

It is more prone to damage. Due to flimsier covers and completely exposed page edges, spiral-bound books can become more easily damaged in backpacks and during commutes.